Reality
by 0RainbowInTheDark0
Summary: Edward, Jasper and Emmett return from travelling and adjust back into reality. Edward throws himself into work but is constantly distracted by a certain new girl on the scene. Can he resist? M for future lemons


SM owns the characters. I play with them.

**Welcome back**

**BPOV**

It was clearly the most important event of the year for Alice and Rose, my two best friends, even more important than Paris Fashion Week. For the last three months they had gone on about nothing but the huge Welcome Home party they were throwing for Rose's brother Jasper and his friends, who were returning to Washington after a years travelling. As I had met Alice and Rose after they went away, I was struggling to drum up the same amount of enthusiasm as they for three strangers.

"I'm so Excited Bella!" Alice squealed as I let myself into our shared apartment the day the prodigal sons returned. I tuned out the rest of her rambling, feeling a bit bad tempered. It had been a long day at work and I was tired and not in the mood for being Alice's clothes horse for the evening as she tried out some new outfit on me. Alice and Rose ran a small fashion label that was slowly gaining recognition and their enthusiasm for their jobs was making me more and more dissatisfied with mine. I'd studied Journalism and Marketing at University and had somehow ended up a junior editor at an accounting magazine. The money paid the bills but, boy was it boring. I really wanted to spend the evening looking for new jobs but my dear roomies were not about to let that happen.

Rose's parents had hired out an entire Pizza restaurant and it seemed like the entire Hale family clan were going, plus loads of the boys' old friends.

"I dunno Ali" I sighed. "I'm feeling pretty beat tonight. Besides, no one will know who I am or why I'm there!"

"Your there 'cos youre our best friend and it wont be the same without you!" Rose said with a hug, sensing my mood. "Come on, it'll do you good to get out and we'll even let you wear your own clothes tonight!"

That was some relief I thought, pulling on my favourite boyfriend jeans, a white gypsy top and adding a slick of lip gloss. Ali and Rose were always trying to get me to dress in their creations many of which were suitable for a night out dancing, but not for a family meal.

Rosalie drove to the restaurant in her shiny red convertible, chattering away excitedly about seeing her brother again. I stared out the window, trying not to dwell on the horrible day at work and the awkward social situation I was about to face.

The restaurant was packed when we arrived – Rosalie clearly had a huge family and combined with her brothers friends' it was no wonder why the whole place had been hired. There was a huge crowd around one of the tables, clearly where the guests of honour were. I hung back as Rose and Alice elbowed their way through and saw a man with shaggy blonde hair who could only be Jasper, swinging Rose round in a hug. Not quite knowing what to do with myself, I sat on one of the padded gilt chairs. Suddenly Alice was pulling me up.

"Bell-lla, come on, don't be a wallflower! Come and meet the guys!" She forcibly pulled me through the crowds and stopped in front of Jasper.

"Jasper! This is Bella – the one Rosie as I were telling you about!"

Jasper was very good looking, as only the brother of Rose would be. He was dressed very casually in a t shirt and long shots, looking like he'd just stepped off the beach – It made me glad I had worn jeans tonight.

"Bella – great to meet you man – only good things I've heard about you I promise" He said with a grin, drawling out the sentence. "This is Emmet," he indicated to the well built guy sitting to his right who gave me a big grin. "And this is Edward"

The guy on his left glanced away from the conversation he was having with a few blonde women and nodded briefly at me before looking away. I wasn't surprised – the blondes were gorgeous and Edward was beyond hot from the brief glance I had got of him. Reddish copper hair pulled back into a pony tail, perfect bone structure…

"Ha! Our Ed's got quite a bit of catching up to do!" Emmet laughed loudly. "We've been on the road and away from out favourite ladies for far too long!" He gave Rose a wink which I didn't think I was supposed to catch and she blushed.

As we all sat down to eat, Alice made sure I wasn't left at the side and sat me in between her and Emmet, who turned out to be really funny, entertaining our side of the table with some of the less PG friendly tales of their travelling. Jasper sat of the other side of Alice and I caught them whispering to each other a few times during the meal, making me wonder what had gone on between him and Ali and Emmet and Rose before the guys had gone travelling. I made a mental note to make them spill when we got home.

Although I peeked a few times, Edward's attention remained firmly down the other end of the long table with who I presumed to be his parents. Alice caught me looking and gave me a knowing look and a quick nudge.

"Talk when we get back, 'k Bells" she grinned.

**EPOV**

Fucking hell. We'd been back, what, 48 hours? I wasn't quite ready to leave the confines of the first comfy bed I'd slept in for god knows how long and endure a meal with the parentals and the rest of the extended package that come with it. I felt shattered, bad tempered and jet lagged.

One year and 3 months the road straight after graduating from University. What a fucking journey it'd been. The anti climax and realisation that it had to end and we had to return to reality had hung over us as we touched down in the air port for the final time. It had been the best year of my life but at 24, I think we all knew our time was up.

So, it wasn't with the most enthusiastic mood that I tackled tonight's meal. It was lovely to see all the family, but I hadn't quite counted on quite the amount of people who turned up. It was a bit like walking into a blast from the past. As well as placating all the relatives and family friends with half arsed answers to the thousands of questions I was asked, some fucker had taken it upon themselves to invite some of my previous 'indiscretions.' Blonder, plasticer and botoxed before 25, they were the last people I wanted to remember but somehow I found myself cornered by them, fielding off requests of 'welcome home' hook ups.

I remembered Rose and Alice, Jasper's cousin and her best friend-we'd hung out sometimes during college breaks – and I wanted to catch up with them along with the other guys but unfortunately a particularly obnoxious and orange tanned blonde called Tanya who I had hoped I would never see again, seemed determined to keep her attention on me. I heard Alice introducing another girl to us all but barely glanced in her direction, as I was too distracted trying to keep Tanya's talon fingers off my thighs.

It was a relief to sit down to dinner and be with my parents. My father, Carlisle, was head of a large marketing firm which, despite the recession that had hit while I had been away travelling, was going from strength to strength and he was opening more offices across the country.

"Edward, have you thought about what you're going to do now?"Dad asked during the break between mains and dessert.

"Oh don't bother him with that now darling, he's only just got back" My mother, Esme chastised. I smiled gratefully at her – it was a subject I was hoping to avoid.

"Well, I'm not having my only son sitting around doing nothing, especially with a mind like his. You know the family business well Edward. What do you say to heading up the Seattle office while I go and open the new branch in LA.?" He regarded me over the top of his wine glass with a look I knew well.

"I dunno Dad. It's been a while since I worked summers at the firm…" I already knew that I had no choice in the matter from the look he had given me.

"I'd rather it was you than anyone else. And in these difficult times your mother and I would hate to see you struggle. How about you start in a month. It'll give you time to find an apartment and pick up the ropes where you left off." He smiled warmly, and I kne I was in for a short sharp shock return to reality.


End file.
